Mystery pneumonia infections have killed 31 people in China, and infected 792 more, a state-run newspaper has revealed. Despite a deadly worldwide outbreak of fatal pneumonia, which appears highly likely to be linked, the Chinese government had previously only admitted to five deaths and 305 infections.
It also claimed the outbreak had died out at the beginning of February, but the Guangzhou Daily says the illness raged until at least the end of the month. It is not known whether the outbreak has now subsided.
A team of World Health Organization scientists have been in China since Sunday, but have not yet been permitted to visit the affected area, Guangdong province. However, the WHO claims China is being co-operative. Dick Thompson, a WHO spokesman in Geneva, told 快猫短视频 the request for access might be granted in 鈥渁 couple of months鈥�.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, deaths and infections from SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) continue to rise in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, Canada and at least 10 other countries around the world. Outside mainland China, 18 people have now died and over 500 are infected.
Unknown enemy
鈥淚t is the worst medical disaster I have ever seen,鈥� Sydney Chung Sheung-chee, Dean of Medicine at the Chinese University in Hong Kong, told the South China Morning Post on Wednesday. Ten people have died in Hong Kong and 50 schools have closed. 鈥淚t is a war with an unknown enemy.鈥�
快猫短视频s working to identify the cause of SARS have found two suspect viruses, but have not confirmed their involvement.
Singapore suffered its first death on Wednesday. There have been 74 cases in the country and 861 people in contact with the SARS patients have been quarantined. Singapore has closed all its schools until 6 April. Quarantine has also been imposed on Canadians with contact with SARS cases.
An additional three SARS deaths were reported on Wednesday in Beijing, the Chinese capital. These were in patients who had travelled from the Shanxi province and from Hong Kong.
The WHO has maintained its advice that there should be no travel restrictions to any destination, despite growing fears that SARS could be more easily transmitted than thought.